Emotions
by livingforfiction
Summary: Donna and Harvey figuring out their feelings, their fears and their path together. Each chapter is a different emotion and therefore, a different challenge.
1. Jealousy

**Chapter 1: Jealousy.**

* * *

His fingertip brushed the contour of her nose slowly, appreciating the feeling, the achievement of something he had craved for an unspeakable amount of time. His fingertip felt the warm air expelled by her while it slid down, above her lower lip.

Her lips part just an inch, and welcome his middle finger inside her mouth, wetting it before he pulls out.

"What?" She asked when seconds pass and he keeps staring.

No answer. Verbal, at least. His hand clutched her thigh a bit harder. The leg that kept them bunched together to the point where they noticed each other's breathing against their own skin.

"Just do it." she encouraged him, with only a whisper, to do whatever he had in his mind.

"Do what?"

She shook her head. "You're trying to seduce me. Once again." Said Donna.

"Well maybe… but I think I succeeded already. Look at us."

Unclad, breathing the same air, tasting each others' bodies. Physically exhausted, but mentally, more excited than ever.

"Have you heard about consent being reversible? Well, it is."

"Are you gonna get up and say you don't want me?"

"Not even as a joke." she denied. "I may think you are the one who could do that."

"Ouch. Seriously, now?" he dared joke because he knew she wasn't serious. Hadn't they been in this place, tangled in each other, he wouldn't be so sure.

"I'm just kidding. Bad joke?"

"Terrible."

"I'll just shut up."

"Please do." he said, and rolled himself above her, his breathing returning to a faster speed with every second. Her legs scaled up his waist, the smoothness of her skin caressing his sides.

Donna breathed in knowing what was coming. Then she felt that paralyzing rush of ecstasy, and breathed out involuntarily, meanwhile her fingernails pinched his shoulders, just a bit.

The side of her neck felt like burning; then she realized he was biting and sucking in there. _We have work tomorrow, _she thought. But she wasn't gonna stop him. She was loving every biting, every lick of his tongue. She found herself releasing her purrs of pleasure to the air; she felt them growing at the base of her chest. Her body felt exploding and her eyes found his, only to disappear after in the blur they got in.

….

Donna got up from her leather chair, her eyes tired and her head sore. It was ten p.m. and they were still there. Bloody appeal. Normally she wouldn't have anything to do here, but an appeal means having to reopen a case, pulling old boxes filled with papers and subpoenas for everyone involved in the original case. She was there to help, since it was a case she had to testify in. Harvey said they could revise her testimony and prepare for court after he was done with the new paperwork.

She walked to his office, and from outside, she spotted a familiar face seating in front of him. That strawberry blonde hair, that hand movement when speaking… that purse. _Ugh, just who I needed to see today._

She stood up outside, waiting for the right moment. In that second, he noticed her standing and motioned for her to come in. Oh, she was going to enjoy this. It's been a while since she's seen that bitch. Lauren Callahan was one of the dirtiest, greediest and cynical businesswoman in this city. And, she was beautiful, she had to give her that. Way past her forties, had a gorgeous body.

"Sorry to interrupt, honey." She knew that last word wasn't necessary. But she decided to use it that very same millisecond. She knew exactly why that woman was here, in Harvey's office. He stared at her, serious at first, then smiled. She couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

"No problem."

Donna walked confidently towards him, around his desk, placing a hand on his shoulder and standing behind him. "Lauren, so good to see you! It's been a while."

"It truly has." The other woman smiled not so sincerely. That cheap attempt of kindness, Donna used to say.

Harvey held Donna's hand with his own, and squeezed it softly. "I can come back later." Donna said.

"I was just leaving." Said Lauren, and stood up quietly, grabbing her D&G white purse and her (beautiful) wool coat. "Consider what I said, Harvey." she finished and directed him a fabricated, almost perverse grin.

"Will do." he replied lazily.

Lauren walked out, only the clicking sound of her heels resonating through those walls. When she was out of sight, he sighed.

"What did she want?" Donna asked with disdain.

"What do you think?" he raised his head to meet her eyes.

"Oh Jeez." she leaned against the edge of the desk, right beside him. "That woman has no shame."

"Definitely not. Although I can't say I'm surprised."

"Wait. There is only one thing I can think of that she would offer you, because you already have money, so..." she stated, and then eyed him suspiciously. She knew him too well, she saw the answer in his eyes before asking. "Sex."

"Yup." he replied.

"Damn!" she exclaimed. "What did you say?"

"Just what you witnessed."

As much as she loved Harvey, she knew he might hide some information from her, in order to keep the peace. Information he might consider irrelevant, but that she would like him to tell her. An eyebrow raised in her face and her eyes demanded the full version.

"For real. I told her I wasn't interested, that's all."

"So there is more than what I heard."

"No, Donna, there isn't." he placed a hand on her thigh. "There was a plain rejection, but she's obviously desperate because this case is being reopened and she has no leverage or upper hand whatsoever."

"You rejected Lauren Callahan…" she started the sentence while she stared through the window, out to the sky filled with stars. "I thought you found her attractive."

"I do. I'm not castrated, sweetheart."

"Oh." she raised her eyebrows. She loved doing this with him. "So old habits never die."

"Just because I slept with her doesn't mean I want her now."

A smile grew in her face slowly. "Well, she's gorgeous."

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm just saying… I envy her. Not _her_, she's a shady bitch, but she has a body to die for. Never could quite hide a repentine low in my self-esteem whenever she came around the office."

"You… are jealous… of Lauren Callahan?"

"Well… I was. At some point."

"Wait… was that jealousy only because of her physical or because she slept with me years ago?"

Thank you, he finally got the indirect. She couldn't help but laugh. "Well congrats, you figured it out."

He smiled. "You shouldn't feel jealous… of anyone." his expression and his tone became serious. "I should be the one feeling jealous."

She didn't foresee this conversation turning out like this. But it surprised her and now she wanted to let him express himself.

"I never did what I should have done, I never…" his gaze wandered through the room while he searched for the right words. Meanwhile, she observed, waited, his hand on her bare thigh and her fingers on his. "I wasted all that time… And there were a few guys before me, they…" There came his insecurity. "Some of them, not all of them, because some of them were just idiots, and you were too much for them."

She smiled, tenderness taking over her.

"But some of them, they really loved and cared about you, and… you put me before them and even before you, even when I… I couldn't even be honest with you."

"Honey, we've talked about this. There's no need for you to do this. I chose you, you chose me, and that's it. Sooner or later, but it happened."

"Yeah, well… Lauren offered me sex because that's all she has to offer. But you have… everything. And I would never want you to compare yourself to her or any other woman. Because I could never have with anyone else what I have with you."

She got closer to him, caressed his face, stared at him for a second, then his mouth, and finally kissed him. A tender kiss, a piece of fondness for the soul. Then, she reached to his ear. "Let's go home now, Casanova. I wanna have right now that thing you can't have with anyone else."

* * *

**Feel free to tell me what you think and feel. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Compassion

**Chapter 2: Compassion.**

_(A.N): Thank you for the lovely feedback. It's always a pleasure to read what you think :) Also, just want to clarify, all of this happens with Darvey being canon already._

* * *

A knock on the glass door, the deaf sound distracting him. He raised his eyes and caught a sight he hadn't seen in years.

"Zoe." he mutters.

She looked exactly the same, just a bit older, and her hair was lighter. She was still slim as always. "Hello, Harvey." Her accent adding a touch to his name he didn't usually hear.

"Come in." he got up from his seat and walked to the door, where he gave her a kiss on the cheek and a loving hug. An old friend, an old flame too, but a person he appreciated and someone he knew could have treated better.

"What brings you here? I thought you never wanted to come to NYC again."

"Well…" she started while they both sat. "I wasn't planning to. It's something… urgent and rushed, we may say."

"Is everything alright?"

"Could be worse. But, Olivia… she's being denied of my brother's work pension."

"Why?"

"First of all, I came to ask for your help, but if you don't want to-"

"Don't you worry about that. I'll handle it." he reassured her.

"Thank you." she replied with a sincere smile.

"Now, tell me. Are you just finding out now that he left money for her?"

"That's right. He never got to tell me. Apparently, when he was hired at the place he worked in, there was a clausule that allowed him to save a portion of his earnings as an insurance in case something happened to him."

"And how does that relate to his illness? Don't tell me the company is involved."

"They are."

"Shit."

"That illness ate him up in months. And they knew he was risking his life by doing what they sent him to do. But he didn't."

"What does the clausule say?" he asked.

She stuck a hand into her bag and out came a set of a few paper sheets, clasped at the top. The mentioned clausule was highlighted in yellow.

"Here says that she has the right to claim that money when she enters junior high."

"Yes, but they claim that contract is invalid."

"How old is Olivia?"

"She's gonna be fourteen next month."

"What's the leverage? What do they have to deny this?"

"He struggled with alcoholism for many years, Harvey. I never told you that because it never came up and I didn't think it was relevant."

He listened attentively to the details he was just knowing now. "And they claim his previous addiction was somehow interfering with his work. Which is not possible, because he recovered years before his illness was detected."

"They're covering their fault by pushing it to a dead man's shoulders." Damn pesticides companies. He had a few of those as clients, but that didn't mean he liked the way these people worked.

She just looked at him in silence. She was tired, she probably travelled for quite a while.

"Where's Olivia?" he asked, maybe to break the tension just a bit.

"Home with my mother. She stayed in New York."

He smiled. That kid must be so grown up already.

"Listen… I'll look into this. And then I'll call you. Let's have dinner tonight, shall we? Let's catch up."

She smiled. Same old Harvey. "Sure."

…..

Harvey found Donna in the partners' kitchen. She was standing quietly against the counter, a mug in her hands. Instead of saying something, he sighed deeply when he entered.

"Is the day going _that_ bad?" she asked.

"No, just intense." he walked to her side and placed a soft kiss to her forehead. "You won't believe who just showed up in my office."

Her mind couldn't quite put a finger on it. There were so many people who could surprise him. He looked at her, and saw she had no clue. He grabbed an apple from the basket behind them, even though he wanted to have some coffee. But he knew he had no time to prepare a whole mug of coffee, so he would ask a sip from hers later.

"Zoe." he said, a touch of melancholy in his voice.

"Wow." she was indeed surprised. She would have never imagined; she thought Zoe had gone and they would never see her again. But she didn't think bitter of Zoe; she considered her a good woman. "How is she?" she asked.

"Good, well… in general, since she came to ask for my help."

"What's going on?"

Harvey took a small bite of his apple, while she observed him waiting for his answer. "Apparently, when her brother was hired at the company he worked for, the contract contained a clausule which allowed him to deviate a percentage of his salary as an insurance for someone he chose."

"And… that would be her?"

"No" he shook his head, feeling sorry for them inside. "Olivia, her niece."

She nodded. She remembered that girl.

"And Zoe insists the company had something to do with his brother's illness, since they sent him to work with pesticides in dangerous conditions. She just told me he was once an alcoholic, which he had overcome years before becoming ill."

"Wait… if they had something to do with his illness, why didn't she pursue a case against them? And how is it relevant that he had a problem with alcohol before?"

"Not sure about why she didn't do anything, but I imagine that maybe she didn't have enough proof. And regarding the addiction, they're claiming that he had gone back to his alcohol abuse during his last time alive."

She shook her head, outraged. "Blaming a dead man." she reflected.

"Yeah. Good thing they're not our clients."

"I guess they're making that story about his recently reignited addiction because they're denying Olivia of that money."

"Exactly."

"Shit... " she took another sip of her mug. "You're handling this, right?"

"Of course." he said, before taking another bite, his eyes wandering to the infinite.

"What else did she tell you?"

"Not much. I said I'm inviting her dinner tonight." he told her, and looked at her wanting to know what she thought about it.

"Good." Donna smiled. It was an honest answer, since she had no hard feeling for Zoe; her impression of the woman resembled the one she had of Scottie, but Zoe was even more innocent than Scottie to Donna's eyes: Zoe was a saint. She had done nothing incorrect, nothing immoral, nothing unethical. And she had been the sweetest to Donna, even when she knew Harvey felt something for her.

"Do you want to come with us?"

"No." she said, placing her mug on the counter, and taking her fingers to the knot of his tie. She adjusted it a bit, and then looked at him. "It's your thing. And you have a lot of catching up to do. It's fine by me, seriously."

…...

"Of all places, you had to bring me to this one." she said, her head shaking and a smile on her face.

"What can I say? It's been long since I've seen you." he replied.

"And what have I missed?"

"Where do I start?" he joked.

"Besides the obvious… which I've found out through the news." she clarified.

"Well… Mike became someone really important to me, and I've never thought something like that would happen."

"I heard he's doing well."

"Yes. He's gone high… but what about you?"

"Not much. Interesting, at least."

"Don't tell me there hasn't been anyone."

"Oh, so that's what you mean… well, it has. And it lasted, quite a few years. Olivia liked him."

"What happened?"

"I… I never had another priority that wasn't my niece. And then my family. But… he wanted more than I could give him."

He just listened. He had been in that same position so many times. And Donna had pointed that out, while he never paid attention.

"But he was a good guy." she finished.

"That's good."

"Now, enough." she said, before taking a sip of wine. "Are you still in that same old 'unbothered' mood, or has something changed?

"Excuse me?" he smiled at her expression.

"That's exactly what you were. Has someone touched your cold heart?"

"Well…" he wanted to start, but didn't know how.

"Oh God." said Zoe, her accent adding something funny to the expression. "Please tell me someone did touch your heart just a bit, I'll send her my congratulations."

Both laughed.

"She did, actually."

"Do I know her?" she asked.

He breathed in. "Quite well."

She remained silent for seconds, going through her memory, thinking of someone they had in common. "I know you dated Dana Scott, but…" she said, and left the sentence unfinished, looking for his eyes to answer.

"That's been over for a while now."

"Well… I can think of Jessica, but she's been with Jeff Malone for some time, so that leaves, uh…" her eyebrows were furrowed, and his eyes wandered in all directions, as her mind worked and she took the glass of wine to her lips once again. Suddenly, he noticed how her expression softened and her eyes stared at him. Her mouth opened partly, and it remained there, open, a signal of her sudden thought. "Oh my God." she repeated, this time taking her hand to cover her face.

He laughed softly. He was nervous and happy at the same time, since he was just getting accustomed to be seen as someone who actually had feelings.

"Finally!" she exclaimed, still staring at him. "Christ… I knew someday you would see the poor Donna. Actually _see_ her."

"Yeah, I feel like an idiot too."

She raised her eyebrows, not wanting to say that, but knowing he was right in his self-description.

"I'm so happy for you, Harvey. Both of you." she nodded.

He smiled back to that good intentioned wish.

"I always felt bad for her. All that time… everyone saw it, but not you."

"I did see her… I was just incapable of facing it."

The night went well. They talked like good old friends, they felt happy for each other and their wellbeing, and they agreed she would stop by the office the next day, so they could arrange the strategy and the resources they had to fight this.

…..

The next day, when the night had already taken over, Donna sat in her office, feeling lazier than usual. Last night, Harvey had gone home and told her about dinner with Zoe. Donna wished she could ran into her at some point, at least get to hug her. They had such a good relationship when she still worked here, and both had a good memory of each other. Also, Harvey told her about Zoe's reaction when she found out about them. Donna smiled in her seat, her pen rolling between her fingers.

A knock. And a cream colored figure in the doorframe. She lifted her eyes; Zoe smiled widely at the distance.

"I was waiting for you, lady." Donna said while she stood up, and walked to meet her. They hugged each other fondly.

"Sorry it took me a while."

"Excuse you? Not even a call?" Donna replied and both sat on the leather sofa.

"I know, I know…"

"Anyway…" Donna started. "How are you? Besides the reason why you're here, Harvey told me."

"Yes, well. It's an unpleasant situation, but I trust it'll be fine. That's why I came to him in the first place."

"It will be" Donna assured. "How's Olivia?"

"Ugh, huge, it seems like yesterday that I was helping her do her homework."

Donna smiled warmly.

"Very much teenager, you know? I can't take her earpods away from her ears, no matter how much I insist."

"We didn't have those kind of things."

"Absolutely not!"

"You want a drink? I most certainly need one."

"Uh… yeah, pour me one." Zoe replied, and Donna stood up. "By the way, congrats on the new position. More than deserved." she said from the sofa, leaning on the back.

"Aw, thanks." Donna said while pouring two scotches.

"How hard did you have to fight him in order to get it?"

Donna looked at her with that look. _You know how, _said that look.

"I figured." Zoe replied.

"Yeah…" Donna walked back with two glasses, and handed one. "You know him… also we weren't in good terms during that time, and that made it a lot harder."

Zoe simply stared and listened.

"But here I am, and I'm happy."

"Good to hear that" she raised her glass and Donna clicked hers against it. A gulp later, Zoe started.

"Also… congratulations. For you both."

Donna remained silent, and a smile grew progressively on her lips. "Thanks." she said, and looked down feeling shy, her fingers hiding a lock of hair behind her ear. Then she lifted her gaze; Zoe looked at her with a melancholic smile.

"What?"

"I always hoped this day would come. When I left, I…" she stopped, knowing this was a bitter memory. "I told him that someday he would have to face everything he hid."

It surprised Donna. She listened attentively, because she had no clue of what Zoe was telling her.

"And he told me that he wasn't hiding anything. That he… that's our thing just didn't work out."

"Classic."

"Yes, but then… when I left, I tried to forget that." she lamented, her head shaking, as if she wanted to forget the sour memory of her departure years ago, along with the end of her relationship with Harvey.

"Did you?" Donna asked.

Zoe lifted her head and looked Donna in the eyes. The tears watered her brown iris and swang in her lower eyelids. "You know how it is with him… you _know. _You want to forget him, but you can't."

"I know." Donna placed one hand on top of hers, the one who wasn't holding the glass.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be bringing you all this. I'm just sensible, I'm…"

"Hey, don't." Donna squeezed Zoe's hand tighter, and gave her a comprehensive look.

"Sorry. I really am happy for you two. I told him last night, I used to feel bad for you, you know? All that time."

"Why?"

"Because you were always there for him, and he never saw you, or didn't want to see you, and even though he knew there was something going on inside of him, and that something had to do with you… he kept insisting on ruining every positive thing he was offered."

Donna nodded softly.

"And I hoped someday he would get into reason. And he did."

"Took a while, but he did." replied Donna. "You didn't come just for help, did you?"

Zoe denied. "I don't know what I expected. I certainly didn't expect for you two to be a thing now, but besides that… it was a stupid expectation."

Donna was, too, at the verge of tears. But she hid it well. She's suffered so much, she thought. "You still love him."

Zoe nodded. "Sadly."

Then, suddenly, a suppressed memory appeared in Donna's mind. _She remembered that time she found Zoe crying in the bathroom, leaning against the counter, trying to collect herself. She remembered not having to ask, because she knew what was going on. Zoe looked at her, her eyes incredibly swollen and her expression… like the one she, herself had in her face for so long. That feeling of not wanting to leave him, ever; and then noticing he didn't care about her. That he had something better, that he would never look at her. He did that too often. The next day, he would make her feel special and wanted. She remembered walking to her and hugging her. They were dying, their relationship was roting. And Donna knew why._

Donna got closer and hugged her. "I'm sorry. I know exactly what you feel." she said almost in a whisper.

"I don't know how you did it. All those years, day after day. You seemed so… whole." Zoe praised Donna's deceiving skills.

"Oh, dear… if you knew."

"I can imagine."

"He's gonna fix this… and you'll be fine." Donna said.

"You're a good woman, Donna. You have goodness in your heart, true kindness."

Donna caressed Zoe's back, knowing that paralyzing feeling, that daily agony. Of feeling trapped, of feeling you don't own your life.

For her, that fight was over. He had Harvey now. But now she finds out Zoe wasn't over that, yet. She hoped she would heal soon.


	3. Fury

The weather was awful. Gray, thick clouds, harsh wind, humidity. And the mist was starting to pour over the city as Donna and Harvey entered the building.

"Jeez, what a shit day." Donna lamented while they stood in the elevator.

"Don't worry, pretty." replied Harvey, and hid a lock of her hair behind her ear. "God willing we're gonna be in here the whole day… and we can go out tonight."

Donna looked at him surprised; her eyes showed she liked the idea. "Are we going out?"

"I was planning to surprise you on our way out, but… with this day, maybe it's nice to have something to look forward to."

She smiled. "Where are you taking me?"

He got closer and whispered in her ear. "Where do you think?"

"And what's after that?" she asked, opening the door for a bunch of playful options in both their minds. _So early and yet so woke, Donna,_ thought Harvey.

He looked at her and grinned. "What do you feel like after that?"

In front of them, the door opened. Donna smiled, looking to the front, and walked out. No answer, but that was an answer for him. He already knew what she wanted, and liked, and wished.

They walked through the hallway towards their respective offices, when they caught sight of someone -disgustingly- familiar in Harvey's office. Good thing they were right beside each other.

"What now?" she said scared, feeling the fear crawling over her body. That man couldn't mean anything good.

They walked into Harvey's office together. "What do you want, Daniel?" asked an impatient Harvey.

"Hello, you two."

She wanted to say something; ask him what he wanted so he could disappear from her sight, but no word came out. Her heart pumped so fast, that she had to take a deep breath when she noticed.

"I've brought a surprise." said Hardman, and tucked a hand inside the pocket of his jacket. Out came his phone.

"Couldn't you send it through a carrier? We wouldn't have to see your face."

"It wouldn't be just as funny. You see, Harvey…" he said with his classic arrogance, "you might have avoided the bar with that little trick of you and Robert Zane…" his look was intimidating, but to Harvey, none of that troubled him. "But you and your girlfriend won't get away so easily."

In that second, when hearing the use of that word, both stared at each other. Did he knew? How did he know? It didn't matter right now. Maybe he didn't, and he was just bluffing, using Donna as a way of getting to his nerves, he wouldn't be the first to do that.

"To the point, Daniel."

Daniel raised a hand. "Fair." He tapped the screen once, and what started playing shocked both Donna and Harvey letting them frozen in their places.

"_How are we gonna fix it?" _Donna's voice. Desperate, as she was that night. Shit, they thought.

"_I can get Restoration to back out."_

"_What if you don't? Thomas will lose his expansion, and I'm not gonna let that happen."_ Shit, shit, shit. The only thing that crossed both their minds; **How the hell had he gotten the phone recordings?**

Daniel's face had that mischievous grin, that despicable gesture, that dirty sense of victory. Clever, he thought. Playing those lines that implicated Donna directly.

"I have everything, of course. From the very first call to the last."

"There is no legal way you could have obtained that and you know it."

"Oh, I don't need it to be legal, because I don't plan to take this to a court or to the bar. The media is much more powerful than a court sometimes. If this comes to the media, say goodbye to your license, your everything."

Donna and Harvey stared at each other again. Daniel noticed. "Guess all that protection you did for her was useless after all." Right into his yugular. Donna noticed how rage took over him, how his breathing became uncontrollable and the vein in his forehead showed.

"What do you want?"

"Same thing I've wanted for the past years, Harvey. A name on the wall, and you out of this place."

Harvey breathed in, he couldn't let him see how affected he was inside.

"You have until the end of the week." Daniel said, turned around and walked out of the office, passing besides Donna first. When he finally walked out, she shut the door quickly and walked to his side.

He shook his head, powerless, outraged, but what felt like a punch in the stomach, was that he had Donna too. He could implicate him both.

"Hey" Donna said. "Breathe", her hands held his face softly, her thumbs caressing his cheeks.

"How the hell did he get those tapes?"

"He probably paid someone off. We're gonna stop him."

"How?... He has you, I can't let him take you down."

"Honey, relax. Please." her voice sounded almost like a lullaby. "Sit. Let's sit and we'll figure it out." Donna walked around his desk towards the couch, and he followed her behind. When they sat, he leaned forward and placed a hand on her knee. "Who can we talk to?" Asked Donna.

"We know a bunch of people from the high steps of the main media companies. But…"

"That's not an insurance, not today where he could just click and post it anywhere he wants."

"Right." Said Harvey. From where he saw it, Daniel had the upper hand in this.

"Wait." Donna interrupted his thoughts, his mind going in a spiral, the stress of the situation hitting him all at once. "He gave you until the end of the week. That means Sunday."

"Uh, yeah."

"Harvey…" she said, her voice sounded as if she had one of her brilliant ideas. "It's Wednesday. He gave us four whole days to give him what he wants."

"Which is my resignation, yes. Why?"

"Four days for something he wants so desperately… I don't know, it seems shady. As if this were…"

"A bluff. But why would he bluff? What kind of evidence could be better than what he already has? I don't think there's anything more incriminating than that."

"I'm not saying he has something else… I'm saying he tried to fool us in what time concerns."

"He's not giving us until the end of the week."

Donna shook her head.

"Shit. We could do it at any moment. Son of a bitch."

"Harvey, cool." She grounded him. "We need to focus and we need to tell Louis."

* * *

"Louis said he would see what he could do. And he promised me he wouldn't let us down." informed Donna, walking back to Harvey's office.

"The best thing that man has is his loyalty." replied Harvey. Donna agreed. "I was thinking…" he started. "we have our own leverage."

"What are you talking about now, Harvey?"

"Well… we have everything about him. The money deviation, the cheating to his own firm… the only reason we never disclosed that was because of his threats."

"But that's only a confrontation weapon, not something to stop him."

"I know." said Harvey. He sounded… resigned. "At least we won't remain arm crossed."

Donna looked at him, obviously concerned, but right now she was aware that none of them was really seeing the whole picture. They would have to leave the city; find something else to do. Wouldn't be the first time they left for another place together… but after all this time, all those stories in there… leave their family.

"Well… you know whatever you get on, I'll get on board with you." said Donna.

They spent the whole day trying to decipher how to work this out. Who to talk to, what to negotiate with, which string to pull. All of them, including Robert, from his retirement, found out through Louis and decided he would do everything in his hand. But the only choice now was to threat Daniel back. And the only weapons were his own crimes.

* * *

The night had fallen quite a few hours ago, and Harvey was convinced about staying the night, and keep investigating. None of them knew what else there was to do, but he couldn't feel any less than guilty if he went home.

"Harvey, it's late." Donna said, approaching him in the couch.

"I know, but I can't go home. This is my responsibility."

"Actually, this is a mess I made, remember? And I've felt nothing but regret…t you have to show your face for me."

He looked at her. He had been outraged all day, but when he looked at her, his gaze seemed to soften, to turn lighter. "I've always done it, and I always will. I will always protect you."

Donna leaned closer and kissed him. "Let's go home. We need to sleep, you more than anyone else. I convinced Louis already, please don't be difficult." she said, trying to put up a smile.

He eyed her. No words came out. She thought she saw fatigue; it probably was. Her hand reached for his. "C'mon, let's go home." she was almost whispering.

He smiled softly, without knowing where on earth he got the energy to smile from. It was her, it was always Donna. It was always about, for and because of Donna. Then he stood, and she stood beside him.

Home. In their bed, in their bliss, a soft golden light spreading through the room. Her perfume had conquered the sheets, and his fingers traced the line of her shoulder that peeked out the covers.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't. Stop." he replied.

"I can't stop thinking about it."

"Neither can I. But stop torturing yourself. It's done, and we got out of it."

"Did we?"

"This is just… a setback. Maybe it's not so bad after all."

Donna frowned. What's gotten into him? Without his license, he couldn't do the one thing that made his life whole.

"Harvey… this is your life. Everything you've worked for and sacrificed to save so many times. So many years."

"No… no." His hand slid down her head, the weight and the warmness of his skin making her feel more sleepy. "This has put things in perspective."

"What do you mean?"

"This… you, us."

"What's gotten into your head, Harvey?"

"I'm just saying… losing my license wouldn't be that bad. We could both go somewhere else. Anywhere."

Donna smiled. But she wasn't sure of what she was feeling now. "Elaborate on that, Specter. Right now."

"Do you know Santorini?"

"I… I've heard about it, but I've never been there, if that's what you ask."

"We can go. It's… magical. Like a fairytale. That place, you look at the sea, and you think a mermaid may pop out of the water at some point."

Donna smiled. But joyful, this time. "What changed from two hours ago when you wanted to choke Hardman, and now?"

"I still want to choke him, but I had a revelation… If that goes public…" he shook his head, made a gesture that denoted confidence. "we pack our things, we leave somewhere. It's not like we don't have resources."

"You're saying we won't work."

"No. I'm saying there's always our investments… our stock shares, our accounts,"

"Okay, got it." she smiled. "You swim in money, it's clear."

"We both do."

In that second, the phone rang. and he stretched his arm to get it. "Louis."

Donna propped herself up with her elbow.

Harvey sighed. "Thank you, Louis. I owe you a hundred." he says, hangs out, and looks at Donna. He smiles, and then she knows, and relief takes over her body. She sighs deeply and lets her body fall down. He laid down beside her, and she grabbed the pillow underneath her; she pressed it against her face, and let out a furious scream, filled with tension and fury. Then they both stare at each other; they're safe, once again. They laugh, they bless their luck.

"Did they get him to shut up?"

"Yup."

"How!?"

"God bless Robert Zane."

"That man's the Devil and God at the same time."

"I know no better analogy."

"So should we discard Santorini?"

"No way, I'm still taking you there."


End file.
